Target animator



R. M. CADLE TARGET ANIMATOR Jan. 16, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Rose Marie Cad/e 1N VENTOR.

Filed May 22, 1964 Jan. 16, 1968 R. M. CADLE 3,363,900

TARGET ANI MATOR Filed May 22, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rose Mar/29 Cad/A,

INVENTOR.

IN VENTOIL y I Ammo "{IIIIIIIIII Rose Marie Cad/e R M. CADLE TARGET ANIMATOR 3 my w? Jan. 16, 1968 Filed May 22, 1964 R. M. CADLE 3,363,900

TARGET ANIMATOR Jan. 16, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 22, 1964 Rose Marie Cad/e IN VENTOR.

United States Patent 3,363,900 TARGET ANIMATOR Rose Marie Carlie, 1339 Conway Road, Decatur, Ga. 30030 Filed May 22, 1964, Ser. No. 369,481 10 Claims. (Cl. 273-1052) The present invention generally relates to a target animator and more particularly to such a device for moving a target for use when shooting at the target as a sport or as a means of recreation.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a target structure in the form of animals or other suitable shapes and configurations incorporating a novel animating device for moving the target to increase the difiiculty of striking the target with a projectile such as shot or a bullet from a shotgun shell or cartridge.

Another object of the invention is to provide a target animator which is cam operated for generating the means for causing the target to move in a predetermined pre scribed path.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a target animator in which the target that similates an animal or the like is supported from a pair of rigid and vertically reciprocating rods which serve as means for lifting and lowering each end of the target in a sequence and to the extent dictated by the profile of the cam operating mechanism which is actually a double cam structure.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide a target animator for supporting the target which includes two bars one or both of which are flexible in their thin dimension and substantially rigid in their wide dimension. One end of each of the bars is attached to the rigid vertically reciprocating rods and angularly adjustable thereto and the other ends thereof being movably attached to the target to enable movment of the target in one direction but substantially rigidifying it in another direction.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a target animator including a mechanism for supporting a target together with a mechanism operated from a taut cable or rope for moving the target in the prescribed path in which the target is easily attached and detached therefrom.

These together with other objects and advantages Which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the target animator of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction of FIGURE 1, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the structure of the target animator and the manner in which the target is suspended therefrom;

FIGURE 3 is an end View of the construction of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal, plan sectional view of the target animator illustrating the orientation of .the structure incorporated therein;

FIGURE 5 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 illustrating further structural details of the target animator;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIGURE 4 illustrating the internal structural details of the target animator;

FIGURE 7 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 7-7 of FIGURE 4 illustrating further structural details of the device;

FIGURE 8 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 8-8 of FIGURE 4 illustrating further structural details of the animator and particularly the mechanism for suspending the target;

FIGURE 9 is a detailed sectional view illustrating the target attaching structure and taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 9-9 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 10 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 10-10 of FIGURE 4 illustrating structural details of the guide mechanism;

FIGURE 11 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 11-11 of FIGURE 4 illustrating the spring structure and its association with a rack or rod;

FIGURE 12 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 12-12 of FIGURE 6 illustrating the double cam structure of the present invention;

FIGURE 13 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 13-13 of FIGURE 6 illustrating further structural details of the target animator;

FIGURE 14 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 14-14 of FIGURE 5 illustrating further structural details of the adjustment mechanism for the target suspender;

FIGURE 15 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 15-15 of FIGURE 14 illustrating further structural details of the angular adjustment for the target suspender mechanism;

FIGURE 16 is an elevational view illustrating another form of cam structure; and

FIGURE 17 is a sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 17-17 of FIGURE 16 illustrating further structural details of the double cam constructed of one piece of material.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the target animator of the present invention for suspending a target structure generally designated by the numeral 12 and moving the target vertically in a particular manneras it is traversed back and forth bet-ween supporting points formed by brackets 14 and end pulleys 16 over which is entrained a taut cable or rope 18 that serves to support and enable the target animator 10 to traverse back and forth over a given distance. During this movement, the target 12 will be changed in vertical orientation thus providing a movable target which will closely simulate an actual animal or the like for increasing the difficulty of striking the target with a projectile. The target animator is con structed in the form of an elongated hollow housing 20 which may be constructed of two matching components 22 and 24 generally in the form of channels which are held in place by a plurality of elongated screw threaded fasteners 26 of suitable length and configuration with the fasteners 26 extending through hollow rib's formed on the channel sh'aped members 22 and 24 which cooperate to form a hollow housing with there being provided a partition wall 28 therebetween which also serve as a support for a pair of idler pulleys 30 carried by brackets 32 that may be an extension of the partition plate 28 or otherwise secured thereto. The idler pulleys 30 are orientated adjacent the center of the housing 20 and in alignment with an enlarged V-pulley 3-4 which projects above the top of the casing 20 and which is journalled in suitable bracket means 36 supported from the casingand partition wall 28 with a shadt or axle 38 rota'ta'bly supporting the pulley 34. The pulley 34 has a polygonal bore 40 for receiving the polygonal portion 42 of the shaft or axle thus securing the pulley 34 thereto. Pulley 34 may be attached to shaft 42 in any suitable manner such as by a press fit, setscrews, keyways and the like. Further, the shaft and hub 38 may be cylindrical in which event the shaft 42 is stationary and the pulley '34 rotates freely thereon. The periphery of the pulley 34 projects through an opening 44 in the top wall of the casing or housing and there is provided a drive gear 46 on the axle 38 which is rigidly ailixed to the poly onal portion 42 thereof for driving engagement with a large drive gear 48 mounted on shaft 50 disposed within the housing and journalled in the partition wall 28 by virtue of employing a suitable bushing or bearing 52.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, idler pulleys 54 and 56 ar-e provided at opposite ends of the casing or housing '20 and all of the pulleys are in alignment for receiving the cable or rope 18. Due to the particular orientation of the idler pulleys adjacent the drive pulley 34, the

cable or rope 18 will be entrained over the drive pulley 64 whereby the drive pulley 34 and the cable or ro-pe 18 will be drivingly interconnected so that as the cable or rope moves back and forth, the pulley 34 will be correspondingly rotated thus, in turn, rotating gears 46 and 48 and the shaft 50.

Attached rigidly to the shaft 50 is a cam carrier 58 that has a concentric rim or flange 60 associated therewith which serves to space the double cam 62 therefrom. This cam carrier 58 has two pairs of ratchet stops 64 and 66 thereon in the form of arcuate members which pairs are arranged ninety degrees apart with respect to the other pair and the stops in each pair are arranged 180 apart as illustrated in FIGURE 13. Each pair of ratchet steps 64 and 66 which are in the form of springs is concentric with respect to the other and about the center of the cam carrier 58 and are displaced from each other on greater and smaller circles of concentricity, as illustrated in FIGURE 13. On opposite sides of the double 'cam 62 there exists a similar arrangement of ratchets 70 and 72, as illustrated in FIGURE 12, for providing an alternative drive for the double cam 62 by reversing the double cam which is rotatable on the shaft 50. The set of ratchet stops 70 and 72 facing the ratchet stops 64 and 66 which are in the form of pawl-s or spring elements will serve as a ratcheting arrangement for the double cam. As also illustrated in FIGURE 12, the double cam 62 is provided with two spaced profiles 74 and 76 which are more or less symmetrical but which may be of any suitable shape as described hereinafter. By reversing the double profile cam 62 on the shaft 50, the cam 62 may be rotated only in a clockwise direction or only in a counterclockwise direction depending upon which face of the double earn 62 faces the cam carrier 58. A hinged access door 78 is provided for enabling removal of the double cam 62 and the door 78 is provided with a handle 80 and suitable hinges 82 and an inwardly extending boss 84 is provided on the door 78 for serving to retain the double cam 62 on the end of the shaft 50 but enabling ready removal thereof and replacement with other cams or ready reversal thereof.

The necessity for the double cam arrangement is derived from the fact that some targets will be portrayed as moving from left to right and still others moving from right to leltlt so that the ratchet will be operative when the target is being returned to an initial position with respect to the animator thereby avoiding the appearance of an animal running or jumping backwards thus rendering the device more realistic. Further, when the direction of the animator is reversed on the cable in order to return it to a starting position, Wear on the animator itself is reduced and less effort is required from the separate means for driving the animator such as a winch or the like inasmuch as the target animating mechanism is not in operation.

Mounted within the casing 20 is a pair of cam followers 86 and 88 which engage the cam profiles 74 and 76 respectively and each follower is in the form of a roller journalled in a U-shaped yoke 98 carried by an elongated square rod 92 guided in suitable bearing brackets 94 of the suit type illustrated in FIGURE 10 which are secured to the main frame or partition 28 by suitable fasteners 96. Orientated on the rod 92 is a coil compression spring 98 having one end abutting one of the guides 94 and the other end abutting a washer or abutment 100 held in place by a transverse pin 102 which extends through the rod 92, as illustrated in FIGURE 11. The outer end of each rod 92 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse teeth 194 thus forming a rack gear which is in meshing engagement with a small pinion gear 106 rigid with a larger gear 108 that in turn is in meshing engagement with the small pinion gear 110 rigid with a larger gear 112 that in turn meshes with an elongated vertically disposed rack gear 114 so that as the rack gear 104 reciprocates in accordance with the movement of the cam follower 86 on the cam profile, the gears 106, 108, 110 and 112 will be caused to oscillate thus reciprocating the rack gear 114 in relation to the housing or casing 20. The rack gear 114 extends through openings 116 in the housing 29 and the back surface thereof is supported by a plurality of support rollers 118 all of which are carried by a suitable bracket structure 120 supported from the main partition or frame 28, as illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8. The rack bars 114 may be rendered inoperative by pushing them upwardly to engage a downwardly opening hook 122 with a pivotal ring 124 secured to the housing 20 which will reduce contact pressure between the cam follower 86 and the cam profile due to decreased compression of spring 98. This will enable the cams to be easily changed by removing pressure therefrom and enabling the double profile to be removed out through the swinging door and replaced. The lower end of the rack bar 114 is offset, as at 126, and includes an angular adjustment structure 128 at the lower end thereof for attachment to an elongated bar 130 that has a narrow dimension insofar as lateral deflection is concerned but there is substantial width insofar as fore and aft attitude is concerned. In other words, the bar 130 is substantially fiat with the major dimension thereof being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing 20, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The upper end of the bar 130 is twisted and is flat, as at 132, for forming part of the adjustment 128 which includes a circular plate 134 on the lower end of the offset portion 126 of the rod 114 and a circular portion 136 on the upper end of the flat portion 132 of the bar 130. The plate 136 is provided with at least one, two or three lugs with there being disclosed a pair of diametrically opposed projecting lugs 138 for reception in one of the series of circumferentially spaced pockets or sockets 140 formed in the plate 134 for locking the plates 136 and 134 in adjusted position. The plate 134 is provided with a central stud 142 received in a central aperture 144 in the plate 136 for retaining the plates in registry with each other and the stud 142 is provided with a threaded portion 146 provided with a wing nut 148 thereon for locking the bars 130 in adjusted position in relation to the elongated rigid rods or racks 114 thus enabling different size targets to be suspended from the lower ends of the bars 130 which are also twisted back to a flat condition, as illustrated in FIGURE 2 and designated by numeral 150. FIGURE 9 illustrates the manner of connecting the bar 130 to the target 152 and this includes a fastener bolt 154 extending through the end 150 of the bar 130 having a fiat raised pad 151 thereon and through the target 152 which has a pad 162 matching pad 151. A washer 158 and a wing nut 160 are provided on the bolt 154 for tightening the target 152 onto the ends of the bars 130. The target pad 162 and bar pad 151 prevent interference of the bars 130 with the target itself. It is pointed out that either or both bars 130 are flexible in their thin dimension and target 152 may have a peripheral reinforcement 156 on the back. Thus, this construction prevents the target from coming off of the bars 130 and also the bars are readily removed since they may be subject to damage by projectiles directed at the target.

FIGURES 16 and 17 disclose a modified form of double profile cam including a cam body 164 having two cam profiles 166 and 168 spaced axially from each other for engagement by the cam followers with the cam body 164 having recesses 170 therein on both faces thereof for forming ratchet stops for enabling the spring pawls to engage the cam and turn the cam in one direction but enable the cam to idle on the shaft 50 when rotating in the other direction. This is one example of a double profile cam which may be substituted for the cam illustrated in FIGURES l-l4 and it is pointed out that other types of cams may be employed to vary the characteristics of movement of the target.

The bottom of the housing 20 includes central horizontal lug 172, having a laterally disposed notch 174 therein generally out of alignment with the rods 114 for receiving the cable or rope 18. Also, the drive pulley 34 is provided with a notch 176 for enabling the cable or rope to be threaded over the pulley for the purpose of mounting the target animator on the cable or rope.

The cable or rope 18 has knots 180 formed therein or other enlargements provided thereon for locking the cable or rope 18 to the housing 20 so that as the housing 20 is moved back and forth on the supporting cable, the cable will positively move with respect to the housing so that the drive pulley 34 will be rotated. Also, a counterweight 182 is mounted centrally on the rear of the housing to counterbalance the weight of the target and other structure in the housing since the operating structure for the vertical rod is all mounted forwardly of the partition or main frame 28. Thus, the target will be maintained straight and even if it swings rearwardly as a result of being engaged by a bullet or the like, it will return to its normally Vertical position.

It is pointed out that all working components and subassemblies are built upon or attached to the main frame or partition 28 of the target animator. The front and rear covers or channel-shaped members may actually be molded plastic covers which do not add to the structural strength of the machine. The bosses through which the fasteners 26 extend are sufiicient to rigidify the covers or channels and this structure enables the over-all weight and cost of the device to be maintained at a minimum.

In considering the previous description and the drawings, the device is operative by yirtue of it being suspended from the taut cable or rope 18 and by employing the idler pulleys disposed longitudinally of the casing or housing 20. The idler pulley mounting brackets 32 are open on one side so that the animator may be readily hung on the cable or removed therefrom. The cable or rope 18 passing under the idler pulley adjacent the large pulley 24 means that the target animator is supported and the frictional contact with the main pulley 34 provides the power required by the motion mechanism so that the target may be vertically reciprocated.

The main pulley 34 has, as an integral part thereof, a slot or groove running from the opposite side face toward the inside on the periphery of the pulley to facilitate ease of attachment and detachment of the animator from the taut cable or rope 18 by permitting the cable 18 to be run onto and off of the main pulley 34. Further, the main pulley 34 has the pinion gear 46 rigidly affixed thereto. The entire pulley and pinion gear assembly may rotate freely on the shaft 42 if it and the bore are cylindrical or it may be secured to the shaft and the shaft rotate and be journalled in the main frame or partition 28 and an auxiliary bracket therefor. The pinion which is attached to the main pulley 34 is the driving pinion and is geared to the shaft 50 for driving the shaft 50 and the cam carrier 58 that is rigidly afiixed thereto. The rim 60 on the cam carrier 58 supports the double cam 62 in that it spaces it with respect to the ratchet stop. The cam may be driven in either a counterclockwise or clockwise direction and will ratchet in the opposite direction. The cam may be turned over and more than one cam may be provided in order to provide profiles for different types of motion for the same animal or different types of animals depending upon the target structure. The access means or door 78 and the raised boss 84 thereon will serve the purpose of preventing the cam from slipping off the shaft and of enabling the cam to be readily changed when desired.

The two cam followers 86 and 88 on opposite sides of the cam each engage one of the cam profiles and are operatively journalled on the push rods S 2 which terminates in a rack gear. The return springs assure the proper following of the cam profiles by the followers 86 and 88. As the cam rotates, the followers transmit a reciprocating motion to the push rods thus causing rotation of the reduction gear system for vertically reciprocating the rigid rods or racks 114. The rack 114 is engaged by flanged rollers or bushings on the back surface thereof and extend through apertures in the housing 20. The flanged rollers and the square configuration of the rack 114 prevents rotation of the rack 114 about its longitudinal axis.

The gear and reduction system which is actually a multiplication of distance moved transforms the relatively short reciprocating motions of the push rods to long reciprocating strokes of the vertically reciprocating rods or racks 114.

The housing 20 is pulled along the supporting cable in any suitable manner such as by a winch, either electrically operated or manually operated, or may be moved in any suitable manner so that it traverses back and forth within a given area for enabling the target to be shot at for sport or recreation.

The target is reinforced so as to be relatively rigid and may vary in size depending upon the animal depicted. Inasmuch as the dimensions of the animal may vary considerable between targets, the adjustment including the plates 134 and 136 enable the bars to be orientated in various angular positions for enabling different size targets to be supported therefrom. Inasmuch as vertical reciprocation of the target may include some variation in dimension between the point of attachment of the bars with the target, the targets are supported by the bars which have a relatively narrow or thin dimensions insofar as lateral deflection thereof is concerned so that a means is provided for compensating for the variations of the spatial relationship between the points of attachment during reciprocation of the rack bars 114 as mentioned above. The structure of the bars at the same time imparts stability with respect to the animator and target insofar as deflection of the target is concerned laterally of the longitudinal axis of the animator.

A means is provided on the target in the form of a flat raised pad for attachment to the bars 132. The raised pads prevent interference of the bars 130 with the edges and surfaces of the targets. Also, the threaded structure for securing the target to the bars prevents the targets from being accidentally detached from the sup-porting bars. Also, the flat bars are readily removed or replaced inasmuch as they are subject to damage by bullets directed at the target since they extend to the target.

When it is desired to change the target, it is only necessary to release the wing nut for attaching the bars thereto and if a different size target is supported from the bars, then the adjustment wing nuts were the bars 130 connect to the rods 114 may be loosened and reset as desired. When the rods 114 are pushed all the way upwardly and the hoop thereon engaged with the loop on the casing, the cam followers are retracted from the cam thus enabling the cam to be changed when desired. After the cam has been changed or placed in position, the door is closed and latched in closed position and the rods 114 released after which the device is ready for use.

The target structure may be either a flat plate-like structure or may be three-dimensional if desired, thus further enhancing the simulation of actual movement of an animal as the target animator is moved Whle it is supported from the cable or rope.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A target animator comprising an elongated housing supported on a taut cable, a drive means on said housing and adapted to be driven by the engagement with the cable, a cam operatively connected to the drive means, cam follower means extending radial y from the cam and engaged therewith, each of said cam follower means including a push rod, a vertically reciprocating rod mounted adjacent the ends of the housing remote from the cam, means transmitt ng the reciprocating motion of the push rods to the vertically reciprocating rods, and means adjacent the lower ends of the reciprocating rods for suspending a target therefrom.

2. The structure as defined in c aim 1 wherein said means for suspending the target includes a bar at a lower end of each of the vertical rods, at least one of said bars having a relatively thin dimenson and a relatively wide dimension, said wide dimension being disposed with the axis thereof parallel to the axis of impingement of projectiles on the target thereby rigdifying the target with the thin dimension thereof disposed laterally so that the target may deflect laterally during movement of the housing and for enabling the bars to support different sizes and shapes of targets.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein each vertically reciprocating rod is in the form of a rack gear, and a multiplying gear drive interconnects the push rod and said vertically reciprocating rod for converting relatively small movement of the push rod into a relatively large vertical movement of the vertically reciprocating rod.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein said cam is removably mounted in said housing, an access means is carried by said housing for enabling access thereto, and means on said access means for retaining the cam in place and for enabling the cam to be removed and interchanged for varying the characteristics of movement of the vertically reciprocating rods.

5. The structure as defined in claim 4 wherein said cam is in the form of a double faced cam having tWo profiles and separate cam followers engage each of said profiles whereby the characteristics of movement of one of the vertically reciprocating rods may vary in relation to the characteristics of the other vertically reciprocating rods thereby vertically reciprocating the two ends of a target in different manners to simulate the normal movement of a particular animal.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 wherein said drive means on the housing includes a pulley in frictional engagement with the taut cable, a drive gear assembly connected to the pulley, and a one-way clutch mechanism interconnecting the drive gear assembly and the cam for rotating the Cam in only one direction thereby enabling the housing to return to a starting point without operating the vertically reciprocaing rods.

7. A target animator adapted to be suspended from a substantially horizontally disposed cable and moved in relation thereto in order to traverse a target area and comprising a housing, drive means carried by the housing and including means supporting the housing from said cable and actuate the drive means in response to movement of the housing on said cable, vertically reciprocating means depending from the housing in cooperative arrangement, means for detachably attaching a target to said vertically reciprocating means and means operatively interconnected between the drive means and the vertically reciprocating means for vertically reciprocating said target relative to said housing during movement of the housing across the target area.

8. A target animator comprising a housing including means for supporting said housing from an overhead substantially horizontally disposed taut cable and moved in relation thereto to traverse a target area, vertically reciprocating means depending from the housing, means for releasably attaching a target to said vertically reciprocating means whereby said target will be vertically reciprocated relative to said housing and means responsive to transverse movement of the housing along said cable for actuating said vertically reciprocating means.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein said last means includes a drive mechanism carried by the housing and including a pulley in driven engagement with said cable, a cam journalled on the housing and means interconnecting the cam and the drive mechanism for rotating the cam and means interconnecting the cam and the vertically reciprocating means for reciprocating the same upon rotation of the cam.

10. The invention of claim 9, wherein said cam is drivingly connected with the drive mechanism for rotation of the cam in only one direction for enabling the housing to be returned to an initial starting position without operating the vertically reciprocating means.

References Cited ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TARGET ANIMATOR COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOUSING SUPPORTED ON A TAUT CABLE, A DRIVE MEANS ON SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN BY THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CABLE, A CAM OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE DRIVE MEANS, CAM FOLLOWER MEANS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE CAM AND ENGAGED THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID CAM FOLLOWER MEANS INCLUDING A PUSH ROD, A VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING ROD MOUNTED ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE HOUSING REMOTE FROM THE CAM, MEANS TRANSMITTING THE RECIPROCATING MOTION OF THE PUSH RODS TO THE VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING RODS, AND MEANS ADJACENT THE LOWER ENDS OF THE RECIPROCATING RODS FOR SUSPENDING A TARGET THEREFROM. 